


To Want Both

by tyomawrites



Category: The Last Kingdom (TV), The Warrior Chronicles | The Saxon Stories - Bernard Cornwell
Genre: F/M, Finan and Sihtric are my babies, M/M, This entire show is gay, this is entirely self-indulgent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-10 17:50:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17430641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tyomawrites/pseuds/tyomawrites
Summary: Your name was Lodin Hialtisson and you were a Dane, your parents raised you to be a Dane and a Dane you were. You were raised to be strong, to have strength of body and equal to have strength of will, but nothing you had ever learned was ready to prepare you for the choices you had to make. And then came this choice, you were faced with an almost impossible choice, your childhood best friend, Sihtric Kjartanson, or Finan, the charming Irishman with strong spirit.You didn't know if you could make a choice.





	To Want Both

Your name was Lodin Hialtisson and you were a Dane, your parents raised you to be a Dane and a Dane you were. You have always had been, ever since you were a young boy, your parents raised you to fight and throw curses, they raised you to try and please the Gods, to remember that they loved and protected you. Everything about the Gods was part of who you were, a part of who would become, your faith was your own and it was the driving force behind your loyalty and fierceness. Your family was sworn to serve Kjartan and his son, to fight for them to be loyal to them. Ever since you were young you were raised with the other boys to practically worship Kjartan, to do anything for his approval, even fight one another for the man to treat you as a part of men.

You became close to a boy, Sithric, Kjartan’s bastard son, you were particularly a favourite out of most the boys around your age, and even though the attentions from Kjartan were welcome, the rewards from Kjartan, you cursed how he treated his son. Sihtric was only a year older than you. He fought and fought for Kjartan’s attention but he gave him nothing, nothing but scraps and his fists and a tortured reminder of his mother’s death. Sihtric became your friend. He was a sweet boy, he was sweet and charming and soft-spoken and he accepted your friendship without any distaste. You spent most your time together, you trained with him, your taught him, and you learned from him. Sithric was an eager

When Kjartan sent Tekil to find Uhtred, Sihtric volunteered, and you went with him, as if you could ever not follow him, he rode beside you into the camp. It was no surprise when Sihtric protected you, he had taken to doing that, Uhtred’s men were going to kill the both of you, going to slit your throat when he held his arm out, pleading with them not to kill you. You were put in ropes, kept under watch from the bear of a man Clapa, as you eavesdropped on the others, Halig, the nun Hild and Uhtred, while they figured out what to do with you.

They didn’t let you and Sithric sit next to each other, but you always crept closer to him and refused to stay out of his sight. When he demanded to be allowed to take a shit, you scrambled from your seat as one of Uhtred’s men dragged you along with him. All of you gathering around as Sihtric bargain. You listened when be pleaded, to join him. You spoke up, you agreed to follow Sihtric Kjartanson and agreed to swear an oath to Uthred.

“We both swear, we both will!” You chimed in from where you were bound. “Kjartan has not been a true lord for us, we would like to swear someone who treats loyalty with kindness.” Sihtric’s eyes flicked over to you, surprised that you were willing to join him.

It was no secret that you may have fancied your childhood friend, with his youthful looks and charming smile. Sihtric was your closest friend, someone you trusted with your life entirely, which was why you decided to go with him. He clapped a hand on your shoulder as you were released from your bindings, striding up to stand beside him while he clutched his hammer. He nodded his support to you, sliding his hands across your shoulders.

“Lodin. Thank you for coming with me.” Sihtric was so soft-spoken, he always was despite all the determination and fire that burnt in him. You knew as you grew up with him that he was a bastard, and bastards learned to become men a lot quicker than men like you did. You knew enough about the blood that stained his hands, even if they were clean and pale, while they sat clasped to his front., but Sihtric’s bloodline never bothered you, nothing about who Sihtric was bothered you.

“You act like I’d ever leave your side?” You said with a chuckle, dropping the cup of ale you were holding to your mouth. “I’m your best friend Sihtric, I’m not going anywhere, would I turn back to Kjartan? Where I belong is by your side not with his.” Sihtric smiled down at you, patting his hand through his hair.

The only thing that bothered you about being sworn to the Lord Uhtred was that he demanded that Sithric be sent on errands with his men, to spy, to watch, while you were to lay idle while waiting for some form of order or Sihtric to return to your side.

It irked you to see the brothers, the warlords, Erik and Sigefrid, being _negotiated with_ , it was not your way, for your kin, Danes, Northmen and Saxons, to follow beneath the pressing heel of the Christians and their one true God.

“Sithric! Lodin. You will tell me the weaknesses at Kjartan’s fortress.” Uhtred called the both of you over as he was settling his horse, looking like he was ready to leave.

“There is none lord.” Sihtric pressed closer to your side.

“I will see that for myself.” You noticed he carried the sack with Kjartan’s men’s heads inside them.”

“He rides to Dunholm then.” You commented to Sihtric when he left. You stuck close by his side as you walked with Sihtric through the camp. Your eyes caught sight of the brothers, sitting with their men, watching them curiously.

“They are indeed the warlords?” You leaned over to Sithric, brushing your forehead past his cheek.

"They are some of the greatest warriors of our people. Erik, he is the smart one, and Sigefrid, he is the one that would murder you if you stared at them for too long." Sithric chuckled and wrapped his arm around your shoulders. "Don't you go looking for trouble with them." He chastised you. Sometimes you felt that Sihtric liked to baby you more than anything. You smiled up at him, pressing your head against his shoulder, eyeing the Warlords.

"They are dangerous men. I'm not stupid Sithric." You ruffled your friends hair before stepping around him for a better view. "I have no interest in them beyond looking, you know me." Sihtric tugged on your hair, playfully and a shoved your head to the side.

"Well stop looking, you're not going to hump either of them, I don't think that either of them would fancy you." Sithric pulled himself closer to you, almost like he was keeping you still, like he thought you were going to try and run off to try and hump one or both the brothers. "You should try humping a woman, take your mind off men like them."

"I'm not like you Sihtric, I have no interest in humping women." You poked his forehead. "Nor am I interested in humping the brothers." You bumped your shoulder against his side. He laughed before scrubbing his knuckles into your hair. You dropped your head out of his reach, ducking around him to escape his hand in your hair. He chased after you with a smile on his face, the both of you running around like children, your youth obvious to the other men as he chased after you. Your laughter was interrupted, Hild running to come find you, shouting and pleading.

When you heard that Halig and Uhtred were taken, it was Hild, the nun, who had any sense, who gathered you and Sihtric, instructing you to keep watch and say silent until she was to send for you. You were anxious, when the Lady Gisela approached you, leaving a letter with you and Sihtric to give to Hild when she was to return. The brothers Erik and Sigefrid left Guthred, and you watched as all of his allies fled one by one, wanting no allegiance with the fool that was this King.

The arrival of Hild, and of all people Ragnar Ragnarsson, sent shockwaves through the men that gathered for the King, and even more so, the Danes that were present. You and Sithric made your allegiance to Uhtred known, as Sihtric hid the note from Gisela in an apple and instructed a young slave girl to bring it to her. You both watched as Hild lifted the apple from the girl, and then looked over to the both of you.

She had come to find you later, the both of you as you huddled together, fearful of Guthred’s men and of your own safety. The unrest caused by the Abbot’s distaste for Danes and Northmen that gathered, and the absolute fool of a King made you doubtful of all things. Hild came to ask the both of you to stay with the king, keep an eye for her, and to, with opportunity to find the Lady Gisela.

 

* * *

 

 

Hild had brought them back with her, to you, your lord looked strong and ready. You knew all too well the stories, life on a slaver’s ship was almost as horrible as not dying a warrior's death. You trusted that, with the help of the man you heard was bound to Uhtred, and Hild and his brother, that Uthred had fully regained his strength and his soul. Eoforwic was shocked with the news of Uthred’s return alongside his brother. That he had taken control of Guthred’s men and that you were preparing to march on Dunholm with Ragnar to help them finish their blood feud with Kjartan.

When you were properly introduced to Finan, it was possibly the best and worst time of your life. The Irishman spoke with a sweet charm and a strength to his words that made your spine straighten and the hairs on your arm stand. Finan’s charm practically made you fall head over heels for him. You knew that maybe you carried a bit of a torch for people with the same character traits, for strong men with charming wit and a strong sense of self. It made sense to you, that you would have had feelings for Sihtric, and then a man like Finan. But Finan was all smiles and hands clapping on your back.

He was confident with strides and with his words and was slow to anger, prefering to banter with insults than to actually draw his sword, something you admired. Finan made you nervous, he made you stutter and blush and chew on your bottom lip and spill words in a ramble when you tried to talk to him, but he also made you laugh, a deep in your belly laugh that Sihtric hadn’t heard from you in years, he helped you smile more, he distracted you from a lot of the insecurities that you buried while you were growing up in Dunholm, you thought maybe that Finan knew about you, bout the young crush that you had, that was growing the more he spoke to you.

Sihtric wasn’t much help either when he found out about the torch you carried. He teased you and joked about the blush on your cheeks and your inabilities to form words. Sihtric nudged your shoulder and teased you constantly when you rode beside him, and when you sat around the fire to warm your hands he would bump his shoulder against yours and knock you into Finan’s side and giggled when the Irishman caught you. He joked about you and Finan, asking you when you were going to confess your 'undying love' to him.

You heard rumours from some of the other men, some of the Saxon men that you eavesdropped over that Finan wasn’t opposed to sleeping with a man. You admitted to Sihtric one night that it got your hopes up, that you thought maybe you might’ve had a proper chance with him. He urged you to give it a chance, he wanted you to see you happy. But you always sat conflicted, your childhood torch that you carried was never, entirely extinguished but you always believed Sihtric to be too good for you, too kind for you. And Finan seemed so out of reach, Uhtred’s right hand man, a man with his own beliefs and an overwhelming amount of confidence in everything he believed in.

Dunholm was only a dream away now, as you walked with Sithric, following Ragnar and Uthred. The excitement that ebbed in you from approaching Dunholm was almost irritating to Sithric, he’d already had to wrap his arms around you to still your active bouncing and pacing, and now you were biting onto the metal ring through your lip in anticipation for a fight. At Uhtred’s instruction you scaled up the pass and over towards the fortress in prep for the door to open at dawn. You were pressed towards the wall, before Uhtred gave the order to move. You’d managed to get into the fortress, your hand gripping at your sword as you grunted, following Uthred as you snuck through the corridors of the fortress towards the main court and the gates.

You swung your ax at the men who stood between you and the gates, hearing the cries from Ragnar’s men as Steapa cleared away the wood from the gates and Ragnar’s men charged in. You fell into line of the shield wall, snatching up a dead man’s shield to fall in line. You listened as you the men chanted, pushing Kjartan and the few of his men he had left back. You heard Uhtred speaking, and Ragnar speaking, asking him to surrender as he had nothing left. When Uhtred call to make a square, you lowered your shield and turned to Sithric, who was watching Kjartan in the square. You dropped the shield, taking a deep breath before grabbing Sithric’s arm, pulling him to your side. He looked almost amused to see him lose to Ragnar. For Sithric to watch the man that rewarded his loyalty with fists and pain, you couldn’t figure out whether he was happy at the scene or angry he couldn’t do it himself. You rubbed a hand across his back either way, watching as Ragnar broke down after denying Kjartan any right to Valhalla, and destroying his face and body, until he was well and truly dead.

Lord Uhtred returned to Wessex, and you followed. Your sword sworn to this lord that inspired loyalty from the Saxons, who had Finan and Sithric's loyalty, who had earned your loyalty by fighting for all of you just as you fought for him. You weren't entirely welcome in Winchester, the Saxon's didn't take kindly to Sihtric's and your Danish appearance, or the jewellery that was through your lip and ears or Finan's Celtic background, even if he was considered a good Christian lad. You knew that you looked a lot more than just menacing, Sihtric with his dark eyes and hair, a serious face because he barely smiled at anyone that wasn't you or Finan.

It was in Cookham, where Uhtred had created a home, a village where all of you actually had, family living in the same area as you. A lot of those men became good friends to you, some became distractions, other's part of hunting parties so you could earn your keep on the land. A lot of your use was when Uhtred was called by Alfred, to be the King's sword, to deal with unruly Danes and Northmen that threatened the borders of Mercia and Wessex. You slightly resented being told to fight for these people, for people who technically were not your own, but it gave you a home, it gave you a family. In Cookham, you were at Sihtric's side less, now that neither of you were afraid, that neither of you had to fight for place or for respect, it gave both of you freedom to mingle with others.

You took it as a small opportunity to try and spend more time with Finan, now that neither of you were being whisked away to fight and possibly die. The Irishman seemed to welcome your advances of friendship, offering to drink and tell you stories of his home. You made it a routine, to talk to Finan at least once a night, and the action didn't go unnoticed. After you started spending more time, months even, with Finan, Sihtric spent less time with you. He spent all his time tucked away in Cookham's alehouse, a stark difference from the entirety of your life where he was always at your side with every turn. You tried to approach Sihtric about it, trying to explain that you weren't trying to replace him with Finan, but he always laughed it off, teased you about the possibility that you would finally make a move on him. You almost always felt at a loss when it came to Sihtric, it hurt to be essentially losing your best friend, but you didn't want to push him.

It took a long while for you to get used to life with, less Sihtric in it, Finan became more of a constant, his laughter and personality infectious, but it was a welcome solace from what felt like a damned burden on your shoulders. You came back to your house from spending the last few hours with Finan one night, after laughing over tankards of ale when he told you a story about when he was younger, a troublemaker to the boot. You opened your door to find Sihtric at your dinner table, where he was drinking the last you had of some southern wine that you paid a good pouch of silver for.

"Sihtric?" You pushed your door closed and shrugged your furs off, hanging them on the hooks next to the door before making your way over to him. "Why are you drinking the last of my wine?" You sat in the chair opposite him as he put his cup down. He didn't look up at you, and it had you nervous. "Sihtric?" He wiped his mouth with the back of the hand, smearing a line of wine across his cheek by accident.

"I think I love someone."

You tilted your head at him. "Sihtric I don't think that's a good reason for you to drink the last of my wine." You paused. "But there, is a reason you're drinking my wine, isn't there." Maybe the person he loved didn't love him back? You couldn't think of any reason why someone wouldn't love Sihtric. He was absolutely wonderful.

"She works at the alehouse in Winchester." Even though you were absolutely enamoured with Finan, after spending a lot of time with him, a crush that had grown over the years of fighting by his side. The moment admitted that he thought he loved someone else, something ugly and green reared up inside you. It made you bitter and jealous, something you never ever wanted to feel about Sihtric, you hated the ugly sense of loss that burnt and forced its way to the front of your mind. You forced a smile onto your face, reaching for your wine, drinking the last few dredges from the bottle.

"And? If you love her, what's stopping you from taking her?" You managed to get the words out, placing the bottle back onto the table.

"Nothing is stopping me Lodin." He lifted his head to meet your eyes before standing. "I just wanted to tell you. You're still my best friend." You had to drop his gaze, dropping your eyes to the table, to choke back a sob at that. You heard the floorboards creak, and then Sihtric's boot from the corner of your eye, slide forward like he wanted to come to you, and then retreat. You heard your door open, and shut and when you looked up from the table, Sihtric was gone, and you thought he might've taken a bit of your heart with you.

When Uhtred told you that you were to Mercia, that all of you were to Mercia to kill some Danes at Alfred’s request, you looked forward to it, the company of fighting and the slaughter and taste for blood was a welcome distraction from the thoughts in your head and the bitterness that stuck in your throat. Finan had noticed your absolute sombre mood and stuck to your side, trying to cheer you up by whispering dumb stories into your ears as you travelled. Even though you knew he was trying to help, the fact that you had to listen to Sihtric plead with Uhtred about the _girl that he loved_ , made you clench your fists and wish that you wouldn't be called crazy if you shoved your sword through your ears.

It was Sihtric’s wish to marry her, you heard while you were walking through the woods. He wanted to marry that girl from the alehouse and it was costing your your best friend in the entire world. The news, and the fact that after you heard, Sihtric could barely look at you let alone talk to you, pushed you to ask Finan to accompany you for a walk after the slaughter and he’d hung bodies from the trees. He seemed glad to come join you, eagerly getting up from his place around the fire and grabbing his coat. He followed you fire and over towards the trees, slinging his arm over your shoulder as you walked.

“So what did you need Lodin?” Finan asked from next to you, as he walked next to you, boots crunching in the snow.

“I wanted some company, Finan, and to maybe speak to you alone.” You honestly didn’t know if you could do this, admit to him about the torch you carried, to admit your feelings in such a silly way. “About uh…” Your hesitance did not go unnoticed and Finan held his arm out in front of you, stopping you in your tracks.

“Is something wrong lad?” You chuckled, throwing your head back, your fringe flopping off your face. You shifted your weight before looking at him, rolling your bottom lip between your teeth.

“I think I’m in love with both you and Sihtric.” You blurted out before groaning at your stupidity, pressing your head against the bark of a nearby tree. You could already feel tears pricking your eyes, as Finan was quiet. “I’m sorry that was.” You pulled your head away from the tree and snatched the piece of bark stuck to your forehead before throwing it, already overwhelmed with frustration. “That was stupid of me to say.”

You were ready to walk away, shifting your weight back and forth on your feet. You picked at the skin around your nails, chewing on your bottom lip. Finan stopped you before you could a hand tight on your wrist, pulling you to face him.

“First of all I can’t say I’m surprised about Sihtric.” Finan gave you a smile, still holding onto your wrist. “The fact that you’re in love with him is obvious, no one is is blind to that fact.” He let go of your wrist and opened his arms. “The very fact you swore to Uthred, when you did not have to. To follow Sihtric, besides, we've all noticed that since he met that girl you've hardly been around each other.” Finan turned around to to stare out at the forest. “But about me, I didn’t, I didn’t know that.” He dropped his hands to his side. He turned to look you, a shy smile playing on his face. “I had, no idea.”

“And is that, a problem for you?” You couldn’t meet his eyes, even as you spotted that smile of his face.

“It is not. If you would have me?” Finan come up closer to you, grabbing your shoulders. “Would you, have me? And Sithric? If you could? The both of us?” He slid his hands down your arms, before slipping his fingers into yours.

“You’re not joking?” You asked in disbelief.

“Now why would I joke about something like that?” He smiled down at you, before caressing your cheek with the backs of his fingers. “I think I like you a fair bit too.” His smile to you was intoxicating, it pulled a smile onto your face as he leaned in carefully, pulling you onto your tiptoes to kiss you. It was oft, Finan’s lips were soft, plush and even as his beard scratched against your goatee, you felt like you could have melted underneath his hold. Finan walked you backwards, still kissing you deeply, tracing the seam of your lips , resting your back against a tree as he lifted his hands to your cheeks. You felt at a loss with your hands, before dropping them over his furs and clutched onto his waist, small noises bubbling up inside your throat before Finan pulled away. He let out a soft noise, a pleased and happy noise, as he gazed down at you.

“I’ll admit, I’ve been waiting for you to do that.” He said softly to you. His eyes looked just as soft as his lips were, looking down at you like you held something precious. “You cannot think, you cannot know, how I’ve been pining for you.” He slipped his arms over his shoulders, as you leaned your head back to rest it against the tree, smiling up at him.

“Maybe I’ve just been as oblivious as you, but I’ve been pining for you for a long time.” You chuckled, hands still clinging to his waist, tugging him closer to you. “A, very, long time.”

“Then it’s just my luck, that God has given me a man as sweet as you, sweet a sugar." He leaned in to kiss you again, another knee-weakening, leg-shaking kiss that left you breathless, a blush plastered over your face and heat curling in your stomach.

 

* * *

 

 

You rode with Uhtred to Aethelflaed’s wedding at Winchester, Finan was riding next to you, regaling you a story about a wedding he went to back in Ireland when he was a lad, telling you how he was looking forward to the amount of ale that would be flowing because of the wedding. It was a happy occasion. for you to hear that Aethelflaed, the sweet girl was about to be married. You didn't quite know whether she was happy with the wedding but it felt reminiscent of a fairytale. You were always a fan of such, stories of men and women, falling in love and having love prevail against all odds. 

Although as soon as you had arrived and had come to watch the parade of Aethelflaed's soon to be husband, you were going to whisked away from the wedding, to follow Uhtred and his men, and then to see the dead man rise, Bjorn, Aethelwold called him. You didn't want to believe in curses and dead men and anything more than the gods, but you've heard about seers. Men from the dead. Volvas, women who saw visions and dreamed the future. You mother had warned you never to scorn them, never to argue with what they had saw. Your mother had told you stories, that it was the gods who had given them their powers and their visions and dreams, that it was the gods who allowed them to see the future. As you sat next to Finan in Haestan's hall, the Skald Eilaf's Hall, you kept your mouth shut out of fear of angering the gods, as Finan joked about the dead man rising. Haestan looked at him and warned him, warned him about such a sight. You placed a hand on Finan's shoulder, shaking your head at him when he turned to look at you.

"Don't speak ill of the seers Finan, they have the powers of the gods." You let out a shaky breath. "They aren't stories that you can laugh off." You ended up following Haestan's advice, sitting yourself down with a cup of ale, retelling the stories you heard from your mother about Seers to Finan, as preparation for the possibility of meeting this Bjorn tonight. The sun had set quickly over the hall and then, a man came in, speaking to your lord, excusing his absence as your arrival. Finan looked unsettled by the man, and perhaps by the stories you were telling.

You were lead out to a Christian grave, your hand on Finan's back, trembling slightly. You didn't make your discomfort with the situation entirely known, but the mist that rolled across the air and the darkness that engulfed the graveyard unsettled you to no end. The fact that this Bjorn, this man, and his grave were illuminated by firelight that obscured your vision made it even worse. You shouldn't have felt so damn afraid but when the grave rattled and the dirt was disturbed, and a man rose from the grave, you heard a noise similar to a squeak escape your mouth. Finan turned to look at you as the man began to speak, sliding a hand across the small of your back to offer you comfort. He pulled you slightly behind him, like he was protecting you, as the Skald, as Eilaf turned to face and speak to Uhtred.

Back inside the hall, Uhtred asked your opinions on the dead man. Your fingers were practically shaking around your cup of ale, as you nodded with the others. "Seers can only tell the truth lord, they are given the future by the gods." You added, when Finan asked about Alfred. Uhtred turned his attentions over to Haestan, asking him about the warlord brothers plans in Lundene. By the time you had decided that you were a little less scared, Uhtred had ordered you all to ride back to Winchester, to make it back for the time for the wedding.

In Winchester, Sihtric pulled you aside from the others, tugging you over towards an alleyway, separating you from the rest of your friends and Finan. You were shushed when you tried to ask him what was wrong. "You and Finan?" He began, ducking his head to look down at you. His gaze was gentle but you could sense something was wrong with him, that he was nervous. "I saw his hand on your back while I was watching. You didn't tell me that you and he."

"Did I have a chance, Sithric?" You didn't mean to interrupt him when you spoke, but it seemed that around Sihtric or Finan your words refused to ever behave. You placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it. "I haven't had time to think about it, with coming here to Winchester, and then going to see the dead man. I didn't mean to keep this from you." You gave him a smile. "But yes, Finan and I, we are... Together." You gave him a small chuckle. "I have found a bit of happiness Sihtric."

"Then I'm glad, and I hope you get to keep that happiness." Sihtric looked like he wanted to say something else to you, his mouth slightly parted. You heard Finan call out your name, before he appeared in the alleyway, eyes on you and Sihtric.

"Lodin, I've been lookin' for ya."

You pulled away from Sihtric, nodding at him. You patted him on the shoulder, giving him a smile you haven't given him in close to you a year. "I'll see you later Sihtric?" It was a question, one you hoped that maybe he was agreeable to answer. You chuckled as you made your way back over to Finan. He slid an arm around your waist, pressed a kiss to the top of your head and walked you away, beginning to tell you about a rumour he heard when he was tending to his horse. He dragged you all the way down to the wedding, into the church where Uhtred and the others were already waiting.

It would have been an understatement, when Aethelflaed entered the room, to say that she was just beautiful. She was more than beautiful and you clearly could tell that, the fool Aethelred, the pigs arse, the pompous pretty boy peacock did not deserve her not did any man. You already knew from Uhtred that she was smart, that she was a bright girl and that no man would've been worthy from her from the beginning. You also knew, it was plainly obvious that the King did not want to see his daughter married off, but he was doing it nonetheless. You felt warmth in your chest, as Aethelflaed looked so incredibly happy for the moment. You may have been a hopeless romantic at heart, you wanted what was best for her even if you didn't know her. You bowed your head slightly, praying to Freya and Freyr, for her protection and her safe-keeping, and that her husband would keep her safe.

After the wedding, you sat on the steps outside with Finan, Uhtred and Clapa, doing your best to ignore Sihtric locking lips with his now wife, against one of the poles that held up the awnings to a tent. Finan had a hand on your thigh when the monk, baby monk as Finan called him, asked to join all of you. You smiled at him, he looked precious, like a small boy you wanted to protect. You nodded at him, when Uhtred was called away by Steapa. "Come join us when you're ready boy, we won't turn people away." You called out to him as he turned to walk away. Finan laughed at you, ducking in to press a kiss to your cheek, he pressed his cheek to yours, sliding your hand further across you thighs before Clapa slapped his hand against Finan's back, making him grunt. 

"You're in public lads." Clapa grunted. The chastise caused the both of you to pull apart, glancing around at the people who paid no attention to you. 

"And what Clapa, no one is watching us." Finan chuckled, leaning in to kiss your cheek again, sliding across the limestone, closer to you. "And besides, none of these men should care or they'll get my sword up their arse." You rolled your eyes and pressed your palm to Finan's forehead, pushing him over and taking him by surprise. He flailed a little as he flopped onto his back, before he lifted his head from the stone to look at you. 

"There you go pretty boy." He laughed at you. "Take my heart and lead me on. And then reject my advances." He said dramatically, clutching at his chest. You let out a laugh at that, sliding across the limestone to lean over him. 

"I will accept your advances when we're in a bed, away from prying eyes Finan." You teased him, before swinging your leg over his lap, slowly sliding yourself over him before climbing off of him, grinning at the look of disbelief on his face. 

"You're a tease." He pointed at you, his tone accusing. "You're a tease and you're temptation at it's finest." You backed up from him, in the direction of the Two Cranes Inn, a teasing grin slipping onto your face as you swayed whiled walking backwards. You waggled your eyebrows, gesturing at him to follow you. He scrambled to his feet, giving you a grin, a wild, untamed grin that lit the fire in your stomach.

"I will be back. We will both be back." He glanced over at Clapa. "Tell Uhtred when he comes back that he knows where to find us." He crowed as he turned and jogged over to you, wrapping his arms around you and lifting you by your waist, practically carrying you to the Inn.

In the inn, Finan clicked his tongue as he practically threw you down onto the bed that you'd been sharing. "You need to quit teasing me in public." He stared down at you, tongue poking out over his bottom lip.

"Then you need to quit putting your hands on my thighs when we're with our friends." You retorted with a smirk, stretching your arms over your head on the bed and getting comfortable.

Finan huffed and shrugged out of his armour, dropping onto his knees on the bed as he slid out of his tunic and then dropping down to hover over you, his eyes dark. Finan always made your blood boil, and heat stir in your stomach. His eyes were trained on your chest, as he slid his hands up under your shirt and armour, before pulling you up to strip you of your armour and shirt. When you were bare-chested, he let out a soft sound. Your eyes darted towards his chest and then lower down, to the crotch of his pants. When you met his eyes again, he had a mischievous smirk on his face. He leaned back, tucking his fingers into his pants before sliding them and his undergarments down his thighs, wiggling out of them and shoving them down his legs. His eagerness motivated you to do the same, trying to shove your clothes off over your boots, gods you were still wearing your boots. You grunted, as you accidentally knocked yourself in the face with your own boot once you managed to slip it off your foot. Finan chuckled at you, taking more of his time and having better luck than you it seemed, easily sliding his boots off and then his clothes around his ankles before he caught your attention. You let out a strangled noise, eyes wide and trained on Finan. 

"You look like you're happy to see me." Finan was staring at your crotch with a lewd grin on his face. "Now hurry up before someone comes looking for us." You laughed and kicked off the rest of your clothes, before grabbing Finan and pulling him down on top of you and dragging him into a deep kiss while rutting up against his length. You heard him groan in the back of his throat, as you felt his hands slide underneath you to grope your arse, holding you against him as you both rutted against each other. You were desperate for release from almost as soon as you started. Finan was attractive, so so attractive and even more when he began moaning and panting into your ear, murmuring sweet nothings and praises about how good you felt, slick against him.

"Fuck!" You heard Finan groan in your ear, short nails scratching at your sides as your hips jerked against him, the coil in your stomach way too tight and stifling. 

:You cum first." You urged him, reaching around to slide a hand across his arse and groping it. You panted when you felt Finan tease your entrance with a finger.

"When we have time I'll take you properly!" He grunted as his rhythm started to falter. You nodded against his shoulder, moaning while moving your hips against his, nails digging into the flesh of his arse. He coated your stomach and cock with cum with a loud groan, still thrusting slowly when he wiggled a hand between the two of you to tease at your length, listening to you whimper when he thumbed over the head of it. "Go on then, cum for me." The tone in his voice sent you over the edge, arching your back beneath him and adding to the mess that was being smeared across the both of you.

Finan panted against you, pressing a kiss to your lips, deep and hungry, before he rolled off in search for a wet cloth to clean the both of you up. Once you were both clean, he climbed back into the bed with you, spooning you while he was on his side, and you were on your back. He kept pressing slow kisses to your face, a blanket thrown haphazardly over both of your waists in case Lord Uhtred sent someone to come looking for the two of you. You got to lay there for a short while longer, scratching your short nails lightly through Finan's hair while he slowly peppered kisses all over your face and your shoulders.

It was Sihtric who came looking for you ducking into your room at the Inn without even so much as a knock. Finan threw a pillow at him, while you just rolled out of bed to grab your clothes, pulling them on. When you glanced over your shoulder you noticed Sihtric looking at the corner of the room, his cheeks red. Once you were dressed and you'd managed to get your boots back on without hitting yourself in the face you strolled over to him, patting his arm. "Sihtric." 

He turned to look at you. "I think we can wait outside for Finan?" You shot Finan a smile before dragging him out of the room, and waiting out on the street.

 

* * *

 

 

Lundene was horrid. Nothing but dread filled you as you walked through it's empty streets in the shield wall. It was too quiet and too empty. You couldn't even hear the sounds of animals, nothing was in the damn city. Nothing was in that fucking city. When Aethelred broke formation to cheer, you let out a growl next to Finan. He turned his head to look at you, surprised to hear a noise like coming from you. 

"I don't trust this Finan." You muttered, still holding your axe above your shield. "This isn't normal." You were right to be concerned, when Uhtred pushed to the front of the shield wall and then through to Aethelred and his men, yelling about the camp. You rode back to the camp, disbelief in your eyes at the absolute destruction that lay before you. It was horrible. It didn't matter that you were a Dane and you should have been used to it, the slaughter of women, the innocent women that served the princess, the young girls who had butterflies in their stomachs and hearts in their eyes when they looked at the heroes they were serving. You swallowed the lump in your throat, your bottom lip trembling slightly.

"No one is alive." You felt Finan slide his arm around your shoulder, nudging his horse as close as he could to you. 

"There will be survivors, there will be." He pressed a kiss to the shaved side of your head. 

You were to ride back to Cookham, under Alfred's orders. The poxy king still not trusting your lord grinded on your nerves and your patience, while the rest of the men lead by Aethelred were to return to Winchester to inform Alfred that his daughter had been taken. When you'd stopped to make camp that night, gathered around the fire to rest. Uhtred turned to you and Sihtric.

"Sihtric, take Rypere, and Lodin, to Beamfleot, to confirm that Lady Aethelflaed is alive." You glanced down at Finan. You didn't entirely want to be separated from Finan, now that you two had something, proper. You opened your mouth to say something, but Finan's hand on your leg from where he was laying down stopped you. He nodded his head over towards Sihtric, raising his eyebrows. You leaned your head back slightly, getting the gist of what he was implying. To take the time, between spying to mend the strained relationship that you had with him.

Beamfleot. The great fortress of Erik and Sigefrid. Where your were to pretend like you actually wanted to be there. The brothers and their men welcomed you greatly. It was concerning that they showed no sign of recognizing either you or Sihtric, granted, Sihtric was never really around them. But you were anxious, you spent all your time by Finan there couldn't be a doubt that either of the brothers, or Haestan would have recognized you. You made a point to slightly distance yourself from Sihtric, after explaining your fears, you didn't want to be found out and have Sihtric's orders thwarted in the process. He promised to find you later, after most of the men had gone to bed.

Your suspicions, were a given worry, and they were easily proven. Later, after Sihtric had sent Rypere to inform Uhtred of Lady Aethelflaed, away from you. Haestan approached you, while you were eating your dinner. He sat down next to you, without saying a word, pulling a plate full of food towards him, and gesturing to one of the many slave girls for a drink. "You are one of Uhtred's men, are you not?" 

You kept your eyes trained on your food, swallowing the food you had in your mouth before you raised your eyes to meet his. "I am a Dane, lord." Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Sihtric watching you intently, watching with concern plastered over his face. "I've always been a Dane, but swearing my sword to a poxy Saxon King, may have been the only mistake in my fate." You spat a small chunk of bone onto your plate. 

"So you're not loyal to your lord?" You took a deep breath and set down your food. You didn't know what lie you could even tell him that would've sounded believable... unless you decided to spin the truth. You pushed your plate away from you.

"My, lord Uhtred." You began. "He does not approve of who I hump, and I would prefer to not be belittled for favouring the bed of a man over the bed of a woman." You propped your elbows onto the table, meeting Haestan's eyes. "Is  _that_ , a problem lord?" Haestan didn't know how to respond, or at least, that is what you took his silence to be. You went back to eating, savouring the taste of chicken as you took in a deep breath, eyes flicking over to the brothers, who were deep in conversation.

"If I may suggest." Haestan put his cup of ale down. "My lord Erik is in need of a hump. I would see his need sated without endangering his careful plans regarding the Lady Aethelflaed." You made a surprised face, eyes going wide, and staring over to the blond brother, the more, attractive brother, in your opinion. "He is not opposed to women, or men." 

You lifted your cup to your lips. "And would your lord, agree to such a thing?" You supposed that he would be pretty good in bed, if he was looking like that, but a bigger opportunity presented itself, to get out of this damn hall and to get you speaking to Erik, and possibly learning about what they plan to do with Lady Aethelflaed.

"Why don't we go over there and ask him." He pushed his food away from him and got to his feet. He gestured to you to stand. You tilted your head side to side, debating for a moment before pushing yourself to your feet.

"Very well then." You nodded to him. You caught Sihtric's eye as you walked over, gesturing for him to creep closer, in case the brothers decided to take offence to Haestan's plan. He lead you over to the brothers, nodding towards his lords. "My lords, this is..." He looked to you.

"Lodin." You supplied.

"Lodin, my lords. He is one of Lord Uhtred's men. He comes to my Lord Erik with an offer." You huffed a chuckle at that. 

"Is that so?" Erik stood up. Your chuckled turned nervous, as he stood taller than you. He was a lot more intimidating up close than when you were watching him from a distance. He tilted his head at you, his blue eyes trained on yours as he walked around you, sizing you up. "What is it that you want to offer me?"

"Himself, lord." Haestan answered for you, he shoved you forward slightly. Out of the corner of your eye you could see Sihtric moving closer, concern on his face and his hand hovering over his axe. Sigefrid laughed next to him, clapping his brother on the shoulder. 

"Looks like the men can't resist you as well brother!" He crowed, grinning at you. "He's not bad, take the boy to your chambers, hump him and get your fill." You felt you cheeks heat as you ducked your head.

"I'm not one to be straightforward lord, but, I will admit you are, attractive." You scratched the back of your neck, a shy smile on your face. "And I'm not opposed to serving a man who won't belittle me for who I hump."

"Very well then." You recognized a forced smile when you saw one. His men all jeered and laughed at him, when he slid a hand to the small of your back, the same way Finan did when he wanted to lead you away somewhere. After being led to his chambers, he turned his attentions to you, barring the door behind him.

"So, what was that all about?" You asked him. You spotted a jug of ale, that must've been left out overnight. You walked over to it, pouring a cup of ale for Erik, and then for yourself. "You don't look too happy that Haestan has thrown me your way." You walked over to him and handed him the ale. "Don't be shy lord, I don't intend to hump you even if you are the more attractive brother." You gave him a soft smile. "I already have a man. I fear I've already been ensnared by love." 

"Then why did you let him offer you?" Erik looked at you with something, that seemed almost kind, in his eyes. 

"You looked like you wanted to be there as much as I wanted to explain to Haestan that I prefer men." You took a drink from the cup that you poured for yourself. "I just want to be with my man, even though I cannot. You look like you feel the same." 

"You're not what I expected." Erik walked over to his bed, sitting down on the side of it, patting next to him. "Sit, please. The change is welcome."

"Will you tell me look like someone has killed your wife?" You sat next to him with your cup, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and taking him by surprise. "You're a good man, you're kind, I can see it in your eyes. They're soft while your brother's is not." You squeezed his arm. 

He sighed, before shrugging your arm off his shoulders, before falling back onto his bed, holding his cup over his stomach to stop it from spilling. "It is the Lady Aethelflaed, it is intoxicating to be with her. I fear that soon I will be, as you say, ensnared by love." You paused, before taking a sip from your cup.

"There's nothing wrong with that Lord." You thought about Aethelred and the way you saw how Aethelflaed flinched around his presence. "I think that the Lady Aethelflaed would not be so opposed to it." You took another drink of your ale. "You would be kinder than her husband no doubt."

He sat up at that. "You know?" That all but confirmed your suspicions about the pompous bastard. 

"I had my suspicions, but men like me and my Lord Uhtred, we have no say in who the King's daughter marries."

Erik's face turned ugly, anger overtaking his features for a moment, before he scrubbed a hand over his face. "I don't know what to do." 

"Well first, lord." You set your cup away. "We put away the ale, and we pretend that we hump. And I tell you stories about the men I love, and you tell me why you think you love the princess." The laugh that Erik gave you was incredibly gentle, as he finished his own drink and tossed his cup over towards his table.

"Get comfortable then." He shuffled further up on your bed. "Might as well make it look like we did something." You crawled onto his bed, getting well comfortable among the furs, opposite from the man as he smiled at you, and began to tell you how pretty Aethelflaed looked in the moonlight.

When Uhtred had come, with the pig's arse and Finan by his side. You were somehow standing at the front of the group that backed the brothers, next to Haestan and the rest of Erik's trusted men. Erik had been, a kinder spirit than you expected, and you weren't, sure, about what you wanted to do. Part of you wanted to run straight to Finan's arms now that he was here, you missed him something fierce, but you were savouring the respect that Erik had given you after he admitted he was in love with the Lady Aethelflaed. You laughed with the rest of Erik's men, when Whalen was called for. The beast of a man had been the first you'd noticed when you'd gotten inside the Hall and you stayed far away from him. It was even better when he slammed his fist into Aethelred's face, knocking the bastard out cold.

At dinner that night, Finan snuck to your side, sneaking a hand onto your thigh as he slid onto the bench next to you. All throughout the negotiations he kept sending you looks and glances, trying to get your attention as you stood behind Erik. You did your best to respond to them, but Haestan was watching you from the corner of your eye. "I heard some interesting things." He sounded, not angry but, distracted, if you could even describe the tone of his voice. "The lord Sigefrid is telling everyone that you humped his brother." 

"I did no such thing." You stared into your cup of ale. "You don't believe them, the gossip? Do you Finan?" 

"If you'd look me in the eyes and tell me." You felt him shift next to you. "If the man I love would look me in the damn eyes and tell me, to put my mind at ease of course." You chuckled, before chewing on your bottom lip. You turned your head to him, there was a bruise on the side of your face, from Haestan, who was a little too interested in your 'night' with Erik and Finan's glances at you, and you got antsy and pulled a knife, which lead to the rest of Haestan's men holding you down and letting him beat you. He made a small noise, distracted by the bruise, his hand coming to clutch at your cheek. "You're getting into fights now? Where's my boy who stayed out of trouble? Huh?" You shook your head and leaned in closer to him.

"I made a decision to pull a knife on Haestan, Erik's become an unlikely ally here." You laughed, pushing your fringe out of your face, uncaring of the bruise on your face. "Besides, why would I hump him, when I have you. When I love you." You grinned at him. "How could I ever leave you for Erik huh Finan?"

Finan glanced up at the roof of the halls like he was thanking his God before he leaned in to try and press a kiss to your cheek. "Don't." You whispered, eyes flicking over to Haestan who was drinking and occupied. "Haestan has men watching me. He's using me for his own gain, to distract his lord from destroying his plans." You snuck your hand over the one that Finan slipped onto your thigh. "You can come to my rooms tonight, Erik has given me some, for some privacy." You looked around you, taking stock of where the rest of Haestan's men lay. "Once the fires die down. I'll wait for you." He gave you a charming smile, before nodding, getting up with his cup of ale and wandering back over to Uhtred and the others.

You spotted Sihtric watching you from the corner of the room, outright staring at you. You raised your cup to him, inviting him over to join you. "Lodin!" He practically hissed your name at you as he sat down. 

"Sihtric, you keep watching me." You smiled at your friend. "You worried about me or something?" You chuckled when he frowned, before nudging his shoulder with yours. "Come on, I miss my best friend, sit and drink with me." 

"Of course I am worried. Haestan men following you almost constantly. The Lord Erik has started to favour you over his own men. He gives you private chambers while they stand on guard over Lady Aethelflaed." You leaned in so you could whisper to him, eyes flicking around the Hall.

"Erik is in love with the Lady Aethelflaed, and she seems fond of him." The look on Sihtric's face let you know that he was already figuring that out. "Erik doesn't want to give her up, not that I would blame him. I can see it, it's love." Sihtric nodded, dropping his eyes to the cup of ale that a servant girl brought him. 

"I will report that to Lord Uhtred if I get the chance." He fiddled with his armrings. You patted a hand on his knee, giving him a smile. 

"I'll tell Finan later tonight. He can tell Uhtred, don't get in trouble, you have a bigger job than I do. Uhtred needs you to stay hidden." Sometimes, you thought that you tried to protect Sihtric too much and it annoyed him. You let out a sigh of relief when Sihtric nodded, before he leaned in to give you a one armed hug. 

"I've missed talking to you." He scratched his fingers through the back of your head before getting up, nodding his head over towards the door. "I will see you in the morning." You smiled up at him, as he returned a smile that you definitely missed.

"In the morning." It felt like some of the weight on your shoulder had gone away, as you watched Sihtric's retreating back.

It warmed your heart to hold Finan in your arms again that night. You explained to him, that Erik saw you as a friend and didn't want to hump you, nor did you want or need to hump him. You also explained what Erik told you, how he had feelings for Aethelflaed. Finan thought it was funny at first, until he realized you were serious. He almost left then and there to tell Uhtred, but you stopped him with a hand on his chest, telling him that Erik would signal when he had figured out what he was going to do. He chuckled, and murmured to you with his thick accent, nuzzling his nose against your cheek and then behind your ear, kissing you gently. You clutched you close to his bare chest, running his hand through your hair that had gotten longer. He played with your fringe, lips teasing you behind your ear, and then underneath your jaw. He moved to suck a mark onto your neck but you shook your head. You shrugged out of your tunic, before laying back down for him. "You can't leave marks on me where people can see, not yet Finan. Not until Aethelflaed is safe." You let out a soft moan as he sucked a mark onto your chest.

"Then I'll leave marks on you everywhere else until I am satisfied." He teased you from where he was, slowly marking his way down your chest, a peppering of marks over your skin, as you writhed underneath his hands and mouth. You kept a hand of your own over your mouth to stifle your moans, when he got lower and lower and settled himself between your legs, looking up at you with his eyes half-lidded and dark, as he sucked a mark onto your hip and then after tugging off your pants, your thigh. He gave you a sultry smile before sliding his large hands under you to grip at your arse. You practically whimpered when he grabbed you, man-handling you, rearranging you to his liking, you on your back with your legs propped onto Finan's shoulders and your arse for him to take, your pleasure for him to give.

The next morning you were sore, you could feel some of the marks that Finan left on you from his 'satisfaction' poke against the pommel of your short sword, or be pressed by your armour as you bent over. You were a hundred times more sure that if you were to ride a horse today, your arse and it's cheeks would curse you and leave you to the gods mercy, with how rough Finan was with you, as he murmured his love into your ear.  

You noticed Sihtric's absence after you were enlisted by Erik to help Aethelflaed escape. The precious girl had recognized you, smiling at you and giving you a hug when Erik brought you over to meet her properly. You'd pressed your forehead to hers, patting her shoulder gently. You were glad that, Erik loved her so fiercely and so quickly, that he was a kinder man and he was to treat her well. You learned later, from Erik that he'd sent Sihtric off with a message to Uhtred, back in Winchester, and you were excited to be able to help him, to help the both of them, that was until everything fell apart and Sigefrid hoisted Aethelflaed in a damned cage above the men in the Hall.

You stayed with Erik, when he stayed at the docks, slept at the boats. You did not feel comfortable with Hawstan leering at you like he knew what was going on, nor could you handle the noise of the halls when you were well aware that Sihtric and Finan and Uhtred were going to be coming back here, and they'd somehow manage to rescue Aethelflaed.

Erik instructed you to wait with the men at the boats, while he played nice with his brother and the rest of the men who doubted his loyalties. When the night came, you helped slaughter the guards on the docks, taking Rypere and his men by surprise when you greeted them and helped them. You embraced Finan when he climbed onto the docks, tears half in your eyes before he pulled you into a kiss. You laughed at him, before he shoved you towards the other guards that were further down the docks. 

You jogged, ran towards the fortress with the others. Sihtric ducked inside to signal Erik, before bringing him down to the stables. He looked happy to see you, and then Uhtred. It amused you when Uhtred proposed his plan to you, it always involved setting things on fire. You spotted Sigefrid as the other warriors ran out the Hall. You helped Erik get the doors and bar them, before grabbing the chain behind Clapa, helping him lower the damn cage.

When Sigefrid burst into the damn Hall, catching you all by surprise that he'd even figured it out, you drew your axe immediately, standing in front of the cage. You fought Sigefrid's men, trying your best to help him fight his brother. If there was something that you wanted more than winning a fight it was to see that Erik and Aethelflaed were to be safe together. But Erik was fighting recklessly, swinging at his brother, not covering where he left himself open to attack. When Uhtred tried to usher you up the stairs, you pushed passed him, tackling Sigefrid before he could deliver the killing blow to his brother. You practically screamed as him, as you slammed the handle of your axe into the side of his head, disorientating him. You dragged Erik to his feet, urging him to move, to meet Uhtred and the others outside. You followed, glancing back at Sigefrid getting to his feet. You shoved him out of the hall towards the horses, seeing Finan lingering behind on his horse, and a spare horse next to him. You pushed Erik up onto the horse, before running alongside the horse and then climbing onto it, following behind Finan, glancing over your shoulder as Erik urged the horse to move faster. 

You ended up riding towards two armies, you recognized Alfred at the head, with Lord Odda. Erik slid of your horse, you following him. When Steapa raised a sword to his throat you stepped in front of him. "Lower your sword Steapa, he fights with us, against his brother." You stood firm, narrowing your eyes at him. "I will vouch for his life with mine." 

You heard Uhtred call for a shield wall, and you pulled Erik into position, behind the Saxon shield wall. Finan pulled you next to him, nodding at Erik before pressing a kiss to the side of your head, his sword in hand. Sigefrid's horse moved too fast for the shield wall to handle. He knocked through the men like they were dominoes. You heard Erik yell to your left, adamant on protecting Aethelflaed, between Sihtric grunting, Finan screaming as he fought, and Uhtred yelling for Sigefrid to fight him, you didn't know where to turn your attentions too, let alone who to rush to first.

Between Finan and Erik and Sihtric, it was the latter who needed you the most, he was getting isolated by most of Sigefrid's men, and you rushed over, snatching up a shield from a dead man to slam it into their backs. You roared at one of them, slashing your axe across his throat before grabbing Sihtric's arm, clutching onto him. "Sihtric, Sihtric!" You tugged on his arm, pulling the both of you closer towards Finan and the rest of your men. It wasn't until you actually looked into Sihtric's eyes when you saw that little spark, the same one he had when you were boys. It was impulsive, especially on a battlefield, but you pulled him in for a kiss, rough and bruising and taking him entirely off guard before someone yelled behind you and you were pulling away from him, distracted by battle once again. 

The fight was soon over. Aethelflaed had killed Sigefrid, and Erik was hovering over her with deep concern written all over his face. Steapa would not let him near her nor would that pompous bastard Aethelred. Finan had come and found you, almost straight away, he wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled you in for a kiss, a long deep one that made your heart ache and your legs shake. "You're alright?" He smoothed your hair out of your face and thumbed at the blood along your cheek. A sword had nicked the side of your face, it was barely a scratch but it bled a fair bit while you were fighting, covering your face with blood.

"I'm fine." You peeked over his shoulder to try to look for Uhtred, or Sihtric, or Erik, or Aethelflaed. "The others, they're okay?" You met his eyes. Finan nodded at you, his eyes soft, tightening his hold on his arms. 

"You had me worried, when you didn't come out on the roof with us." You closed your eyes and leaned your head against his chest, wrapping your arms around him. 

"I didn't want Lady Aethelflaed to lose Erik." You murmured. "He loves her Finan. He's so sweet to her." You heard Finan sigh, propping his chin on the top of your head.

"You're a hopeless romantic you are." He murmured, rubbing his hand slowly across your back. He walked you over to the others, Sihtric, Uhtred and Erik. You gave Erik a nod, reaching out to clap him on the shoulder. He smiled at you, and his eyes dropped to Finan's arm around your shoulder.

"This is your man?" You chuckled, a smile slipping onto your face. 

"Finan." Finan reached forward. "Sorry for the lack of a proper introduction Lord. Lodin is the light of my life. I'm glad he's made a friend." Erik let out a snort and reached over to ruffle your hair.

"He's a good one this boy." He complimented, looking a lot happier. "You best keep him, you're lucky to have him." 

You rode back to Winchester on Finan's horse. He had his arms wrapped around your waist and his chin propped on your shoulder as you trotted in line. You gave your horse to Erik. From what you heard, Aethelflaed would have to return to Mercia with her husband, but Erik had been appointed as the head of her personal guard, at her insistence, since it was truly because of him that you were able to help her escape. Finan rested his cheek against your shoulder, turning to look at you as you rode on. "He's right you know." He said softly.

"Who?" Finan made a small noise, which sounded like he was laughing at you. 

"Lord Erik. He is right, I am lucky to have you." 

“I think I’m lucky to have you.” You wiggled your shoulder and pecked him on the cheek, sliding one hand to his arms around your waist. He pressed his cheek against yours, sighing contently. 

“We’re lucky to have each other lad.” 


End file.
